Make I.T. adoptions stick with change management

3-minute read

Quick summary: The reason why so many I.T. initiatives fail, and the solution that can help ensure sustained digital change

This is the first article in a five-part series about how change management can help ensure successful I.T. adoptions. We will link to future installments as they are published.

Every year, businesses spend millions of dollars on I.T. solutions that go unused or underutilized. A recent study revealed that about 37 percent of all software installed in U.S. businesses every year goes unused, resulting in a waste of $30 billion—about $259 per desktop. Add to that the cost of personnel time spent on researching, budgeting, purchasing, installation, integration, and user training for resources that end up sitting around gathering dust.

When I.T. adoption fails, businesses face the inevitable question of “what went wrong?” Very often the cause of failure is not so much the “what”—the product itself—but rather the “how”—the approach taken in introducing software to users who are being asked to make it part of their day-to-day workflows.

In this series of articles, we’ll explore the reasons why I.T. adoption initiatives fail, how traditional change management is a step in the right direction, and how our four-step approach fills in the gaps to deliver optimal results.

The risks of overlooking the human factor

Too often businesses leave stakeholders and users out of the implementation process until the very end, which frequently results in products going unused or underutilized—and/or frustration and low morale among users.

Traditional change management strategies, such as the popular “ADKAR” model (awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, reinforcement) offer part of the solution by involving stakeholders and users earlier in the process. In our experience, however, these approaches focus primarily on the individual rather than the viability, preparedness, and systemic support of the environment surrounding them. We’ve discovered that the earlier stakeholders are brought into the solution, paired with a robust, holistic support system, the higher the organization’s chances of success.

Our proprietary four-step approach

In working with clients to ensure the success of their software adoption initiatives, we’ve developed a four-step change delivery approach that gets stakeholders and users involved at the very beginning:

1. Strategic alignment: Align on client KPIs to drive performance through adoption activities.

2. Co-creation: Adoption design led by target business performance stakeholders to minimize risks

3. Transformative integration: Create enabling environments for adoption and behavioral reinforcement beyond closing change impacts.

4. Investment adoption: Measure achievement of desired organizational performance changes.

In the next four articles of the series, we’ll explore in depth how each of these steps helps ensure successful I.T. adoption and creates engaged, enthusiastic users. If you have any questions in the meantime, feel free to contact us.

Fadi Salah is a manager in Logic20/20’s Strategy & Operations practice.